i need to whittle about 1/8 off every side of my license plates for something. would metal shears be ideal? i have a friend that does heating/cooling and sheet metal work and he claims they would be the ticket.

open to all suggestions, thanks!

 

Yes those should work well, even a hacksaw.

 

Tin snips should do the job.

 

thanks guys.

 

I just did a motorcyle plate to fit in a fender I made. I just took duckbill vicegrips and bent the sides 180*. It took off about 1/4" total and looks better than a raw edge IMO.

 

i actually thought about bending it back as well, but how did you get the rounded corners using that technique?

 

you can make little cuts in edge so the perimiter can effectively 'shrink' as you fold it back.
If you tape up the front of the plate and finish the job with a small hammer it can look really good.